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Monday, July 1, 2013

It was definitely an interesting 2013 draft day for Devils goaltender Martin Brodeur.

He was at Prudential Center primarily to see if his oldest son, Anthony, also a goaltender, would be drafted in his first year eligible. In a luxury suite with Anthony, the rest of his family, and standing beside Devils backup goaltender Johan Hedberg, Brodeur and pretty much everyone else in the building were stunned when NHL commissioner Gary Bettman stepped to the podium and announced the Devils had traded the ninth pick overall to Vancouver for goaltender Cory Schneider, who will now become Brodeur’s heir apparent.

Nearly six hours later, the day ended for Brodeur with the Devils pulling off a trade with Los Angeles for the 208th pick – fourth from last in the final round – and then had the thrill of announcing that the team had drafted his son.

“It was a great moment,” Martin Brodeur said. “Anthony’s worked so hard in the last four years away at school. To be able to get drafted, drafted in New Jersey, for New Jersey, you couldn’t ask for a better time.”

The Devils gave up a seventh-round pick in 2015 to get the pick to take Anthony, who went 21-5-2 with a 2.48 goals-against average and .923 save percentage this past season with Shattuck-St. Mary’s Prep in Faribault, Minn. Anthony Brodeur (5-foot-10, 180 pounds) will play major junior next season with Gatineau of the QMJHL.

“It was awesome,” Anthony said of his father calling his name. “I can’t say it any other way. I’m speechless. It was a pretty cool experience being in New Jersey around all my family and friends and having him say it in front of everybody.”

Anthony, who was born during the Devils’ run to their first Stanley Cup in 1995, said it was “kind of” a surprise when the team made the trade and director of scouting David Conte announced his dad would be making the pick.

“I didn’t know it was going to happen,” Anthony said. “But I figured if it was going to happen he was going to say something, announce it.”

Martin Brodeur said the Devils told him, “I think our fans deserve for you to announce his name.”

Now, Anthony Brodeur has his own Devils’ jersey with his name on it – that his father didn’t have to pay for.

“It’s surreal,” Anthony said. “There’s no other way to explain it. Growing up watching the Devils, cheering on my dad, being in this jersey right now, in this arena and everything, it’s awesome.”

When the elder Brodeur, 41, was asked if he was feeling the younger Brodeur looking to take his job, he joked, “Twice in one day. I’ve got Schneider now.Maybe it's a sign.”

Martin Brodeur said he’s looking forward to battling for playing time with the 27-year-old Schneider next season.

“I think for the future of the organization it’s the best move,” the NHL’s all-time leader in wins and shutouts said. “Cory is one of the top five goalies, in my mind, in the NHL. (It’s) a chance for him to get away from the chaos of Vancouver. I’m not going to play forever. I think it’s great that I’m going to be able to play with him. I’m definitely going to try to push him and get my ice time as much as I can while I’m still able to play. Definitely, he’s the future of the organization.

Brodeur is entering the final season of his contract, but has said it’s not definite that he’ll retire when it’s over. And he still sees himself at the Devils’ No. 1 goalie.

“In my mind, I am,” he said. “He’s going to have to fight me for it.”

Brodeur said he and Hedberg were “both shocked” when the trade for Schneider was announced.

“That trade in the first round definitely came as a shock for a lot of people,” he said. “You saw in the reaction of the crowd nobody really expected it. But when you sit back and think a little bit (about) it, it just makes sense for where we’re at in the goalie position in New Jersey.

“And the best part was my son getting reacted.”

Brodeur said he didn’t know at all about the trade for Schneider beforehand.

“Nobody knew,” he said. “I don’t think the people at the table knew other than Lou that he made the deal. But it’s exciting. Devil fans should be really happy about that move.”

Anthony Brodeur then had to endure a long day waiting and hoping for his name to be called.

“As the day went on, it was definitely more nerve-wracking,” he said. “At the start, I was all right. I wasn’t expecting to go in the first few rounds anyway. But going on it got pretty nerve-wracking especially towards the end.”

Father says son already has a world of experience around professional hockey.

“Anthony’s worked really hard since he was a young kid,” Martin Brodeur said. “He saw me play. He travelled with me, (got) the baggage of experience just watching games through Olympics, all-star games, world cups, name it. He’s been everywhere. Hopefully he’ll take all that experience and what he saw to put in his own game, but he’s working hard.

“We made the decision for him to go play major junior in Quebec next year in Gatineau. I think that’s really going to help him out in the way he needs to play the game to become a real professional.”

As he told me before the draft, Anthony Brodeur doesn’t feel any pressure to try to fill his dad’s skates.

“I’m trying to create my own way,” he said. “I’m not trying to be Marty Brodeur’s son. There’s pressure, obviously, but I’m trying to do my own thing.”

And he has someone to show him around in training camp in September. But father said he won’t have to give son a ride to Prudential Center.

“He’s got his own car now,” Martin Brodeur said. “He’s old enough.”

***Here’s the complete list of the Devils’ draft picks today after they traded their first-rounder and then dealt their second-round pick, No. 39 overall, to Phoenix for No. 42, also in the second round, and No. 73 in the third round. They also picked up No. 208 in the seventh round (the Anthony Brodeur pick) for their 2015 seventh-round pick.

Second round No. 42: Steve Santini, D, 6-2/207, U.S. under-18 team (USHL): Big, stay at home defenseman. Headed to Boston College in fall.

***Bell will turn 20 on Aug. 19. He was passed over in the 2011 and 2012 drafts after he was involved in an auto accident in 2011 outside Calgary in which he was apparently driving at a high speed and an 18-year-old woman, who was a passenger in the car, was killed. Bell was playing for Regina at the time. Some reports said alcohol was allegedly involved.

He received two years probation and 240 hours of community service and is restricted from driving for five years.

That, obviously, contributed to Bell being passed over in the draft two years in a row before the Devils decided to take a chance on him today.

About

TOM GULITTI has covered the New Jersey Devils for The Record since 2002. Prior to that, he covered the New York Rangers for four years. Gulitti joined The Record in 1998 after six years at The North Jersey Herald News. He graduated from Binghamton University in 1991 with a Bachelor of Arts in Rhetoric-Literature.